Love
by Briardust
Summary: A Three-shot for Feathers and Frost. Heathertail is determined to keep her secret from Breezepelt- but will Lionblaze tear it apart? Will he ever love his kits? Maybe Heathertail has kept the secret for nothing...
1. Chapter 1

**A challenge for Feathers and Frost!**

 **Pair:** Lionblaze and Heathertail

 **Kits:** Goldenkit, Frostkit, Brightkit

 **Description of kits:** Goldenkit: Dark brown tabby she-kit with leaf-green eyes and white paws/ tail-tip

Frostkit: light brown tabby tom with gray eyes

Brightkit: Bright gold tabby she-kit with deep green eyes with white paws/ tail-tip

 **Disclaimer: Herb information was found at** 87186477-medicine-cat-guide-kitting-milk **, and characters are based of the allegiances of** **The Apprentice's Quest** **by Erin Hunter.**

 **Part One**

"Help!" Heathertail screamed as her kits came. Kestrelflight hurried over to the queen, carrying Raspberry Leaves in his mouth.

"We've been over this, Heathertail. There is no need for screaming, let alone for help; I will not let you get hurt. Breezepelt is right outside the nursery. _You'll be okay._ "

Heathertail twisted, now filled with grief and guilt. _But these are not Breezepelt's!_

"What was that?" Kestrelflight asked, eyes narrowing. "Who is not Breezepelt's?"

"The kits." In her exhaustion, the new queen let slip one of her biggest secrets- that her heart had first led her to a certain Thunderclan tom rather than a Windclan one.

Breezepelt entered the nursery to find his mate with three healthy kits. Heathertail was drained (for more reasons than one) but managed a smile all the same.

"Hello, Breezepelt."

"Hello."

"Shall we name them?"

"Of course."

Breezepelt nudged the first kit, a dark brown tabby she-kit with white markings. "How about this being Goldenkit?" He asked.

Heathertail felt a shiver of worry. Would the name have to resemble Lionblaze? But of course, she thought, it was his call. He was related to Lionblaze by a father, and should get the pride of naming one like a parent even if the other wasn't really there.

"Sure. May I name the two others?" With a nod of his head, Breezepelt consented.

Heathertail turned to the other she-kit, a shockingly bright golden tabby with white paws and tail-tip as well as her sister.

"Brightkit." _This name,_ she thought, _will not only represent her coat, or the coat of her father, but the Bright days that brought her here._

"And... Frostkit." She pointed to the little one that was identical to her- she hoped that his eyes weren't amber.

"Beautiful." Her 'mate leaned against her, purring happily. "They're beautiful."

"Frostpaw! Brightpaw! Goldenpaw!" The cats of all four clans chanted the names of the new apprentices. Heathertail proudly licked her chest, sneaking a glance at Lionblaze. To her confusion, however, he looked disgruntled as he grudgingly called the names of their kits.

 _What is wrong with him? Can't he see how beautiful they are? Is he mad that they didn't inherit his powers?_

Heathertail resurfaced to see that he had stopped chanting, and her kits were looking hurt. Raising her voice to the sky, she yowled even louder than the rest, her yowls only matched by Breezepelt.

The three apprentices looked to their mentors with pride- Frostpaw to Emberfoot, Brightpaw to Slightfoot, and Goldenpaw to Larkwing.

She would work out the situation with Lionblaze later.

 **So, what did you think? I am a heavy Lion X Cinder shipper, but I wanted to do this ship!**

 **Briardust**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the breaks. I hate how FFN does that!**

Part Two

Lionblaze padded away from the Gathering, thoughts drifting away.

Of course, he remembered how he and Heathertail got back together... a rather pleasant memory...

 _Lionblaze lead the border patrol ever closer to Windclan territory. Smelling an intruder, he bounded forward with Blossomfall, Cherryfall, and Cinderheart right behind him. Snarling, they broke through a patch of bramble to find... Heathertail?_

 _Hissing, Lionblaze advanced. When he saw the pleading look in his ex-mate's eyes again, however, he signaled Cinderheart to lead the patrol on. As they did so, he advanced upon Heathertail. That was when he noticed the claw marks down her flank, and he stopped in shock._

 _"Who did this?" He asked._

 _"B-b-b-b-breezepelt." She replied, shaking, with her eyes wailing for help._

 _Lionblaze stayed with her until she had calmed down. When she had, he bid her farewell._

Lionblaze hung his head sadly, lost in memory.

 **MY FREAKING COMPUTER IS BREAKING DOWN AND MAKING EVERYTHING IN ITAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

 **(I'm back to finish writing this part :'D)**

 _"But why?"_

 _"I refused his offer..."_

 _"What offer?"_

 _"Nothing you need to worry about."_

 _"Then why do I?"_

 _Amber eyes met blue, and emotion flashed through both..._

 _But Heathertail pulled her head away, struggling up to her feet._

 _"I'll go now... I'll go."_

 _"Wait, Heathertail..."_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Meet me tonight, right here. They won't notice your scent more than usual..."_

 _Heathertail nuzzled Lionblaze again before padding away, walking through her own dried blood from two weeks ago. Of course, it dried out, but Heathertail kept getting mysterious cuts from Breezepelt, treated as much as possible with Lionblaze, her real mate._

 ** _I'm back. Yay. This is taking longer than I thought :)_**

"Lionblaze?"

"Heathertail..."

Lionblaze was jerked out of his memories by the sound of his mate's voice. She was on the border of ThunderClan and WindClan, behind a clump of bracken.

Daring a glance at his retreating clanmates, Lionblaze slithered behind the bracken bush.

And she was there- soft, brown tabby stripes, blue eyes gleaming. But with what... worry?

She hardened. "Why didn't you cheer?"

"I cheered."

"You called their names."

Lionblaze gazed at her with true and deep confusion, perplexed. Of course he didn't cheer! Breezepelt's kits, no matter how related to him, meant nothing. It had been all he could do not to slit their dirty, traitorous throats!

"Why would I want to cheer?" Heathertail looked shocked, and she stumbled back.

"Their father, of course!"

"EXACTLY!" Lionblaze bellowed; he could not, would not, help himself any longer. "EXACTLY MY POINT! LOOK AT THEIR FATHER! AND THEIR FATHER'S FATHER!"

"I don't see why you hate Crowfeather..."

"BECAUSE OF HIS SON! HIS SON! HIS TRAITOROUS, MENACING, SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BORN _SON_!"

Heathertail was really worried now. "Lionblaze-"

"Listen, Heathertail." Lionblaze was broken- shock and betrayal rippled through him. "I obviously am not going to cheer for them. Breezepelt is a crude, rude, unspeakably terrible cat. His offspring-"

"Lionblaze!" Truth rang out in Heathertail's eyes, and she almost doubled over laughing.

"Lionblaze, they're YOUR kits!"

Had he felt shock before now? But real, true shock? Lionblaze didn't know anymore. Weak with pride and guilt, he doubled over.

"They're mine."

And then he was happier than he had ever been before. Leaping up, he glowed with joy as he tore out of the bracken and onto WindClan territory- or, he tried. Heathertail's jaws with firm and her grasp tight on his tail as she yanked him back in.

"Lionblaze, calm down-"

"But I need to know everything about them! Their favorite foods! Their personalities! How their mentors are!"  
"Calm down. You can know more next Gathering. Go to sleep now."

"Go to sleep! _I have kits_. KITS!"

"Don't let the Tribe know, okay?"

Lionblaze smiled. "I'll try."


End file.
